School panel fine tunes district truancy policies

ROCHESTER — On Thursday, the Rochester School Board’s Policy Committee met to discuss further the updating of the district’s standing truancy policies.

Since the Rochester Police Department forwarded the possibility of fining parents or guardians and charging them with violations for their excessively absent or tardy students, the committee has expressed an interest in updating its policies. Parents who faces charges will be summonsed to court through the new police program, and afforded the opportunity to take a “diversion program” at the police station regarding the importance of attending school.

The Policy Committee moved unanimously Thursday to combine the previously standing policies — JED, student absences and excuses, and JEDA, truancy — into one with some modifications.

Superintendent Michael Hopkins explained the process families will be walked through when a student’s truant behavior becomes an issue for the districts. He said parents will be notified at least two times when a problem arises, and an intervention plan will be put into place to help the struggling child. If the student’s absences continue and he exceeds the number of allowed absences, that student will be referred to the assistant superintendent who will then meet with parents and review the problem.

“They’re given a chance to solve the problem and solve the attendance or they’re referred right away to the police department,” Hopkins said. “They could appeal any of those decisions to the Discipline Committee.”

The revised JED policy, which has been referred to the full school board for a first reading at next week’s meeting on Thursday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m., also states “regular and punctual patterns of attendance will be required of each student enrolled in the district” and “student attendance at school is … the responsibility of the parents and student.”

The policy notes parents or guardians seeking to appeal a referral to the Police Department must respond to the School Department within 48 hours and set up a hearing with the Rochester School Board’s Discipline Committee.

Since the announcement of the controversial police program, the School Board has only heard publicly from one couple in the community who stressed their concern for the new program. One mother said their child’s truant behavior is a concern for her but they are out of options. The woman approached the board at its last meeting on Dec. 13 to say how concerned she was for the future, and the possibility of her family being charged hundreds of dollars for their teenage son.

Following the meeting, Police Capt. Paul Toussaint told the woman the program, set to go into effect with the first batch of dozens of parents receiving court summons either in January or February, is designed to target parents who “don’t care.” Toussaint said if the woman was truly making an effort to help her son, the department would work with her and she would not be charged.

Policy Committee Chairman Anthony Pastelis previously told Foster’s he has not heard a lot of feedback from the community regarding the new police program, but that could change when the announcements come forward. He said he believes it is truly a small portion of Rochester’s families that aren’t concerned about their children attending school.